In the continuation of this sacred history, we see that the relationships of men become increasingly more tragic. For example, the son of Adam, Cain, offered an abominable sacrifice to God which was rejected. Full of envy and fratricidal hatred, he murdered his brother Abel. Certainly, as all of the generations of men lived under the judgment of the fear of death, they continued to be corrupted by self-love and the struggle to survive, and in this deception they became capable of every crime.

Righteous Men

In the monotonous course of the ages, only a few righteous men were able to preserve some of the traces of the knowledge of God of the first-created. Having kept in their consciousness a little light of reverence towards God, they were able to strive towards a good relationship with Him. In the light of this relationship they were given, in a prophetical way, to experience states which foreshadowed the grace and truth that would come from heaven in the fullness of time.

One of the very ancient examples given to us in Holy Scripture is the case of the Patriarch Jacob. Self-exiled in the desert and suffering much hardship, the righteous Jacob wanted to return to the house of his father Isaac. He was confronted with a fearful dilemma. If he remained in the desert he would deteriorate beyond redress and if he returned he would not escape the fratricidal fury of his brother, the beastly Esau. Full of grief because of this human impasse he took refuge in prayer to God. He struggled all night humbling himself in order to find contact with God. At dawn, he felt the divine presence and intensified his prayer, saying to God that he would not leave Him if He did not give him His blessing. Then God spoke to Jacob and gave him a word heavy with meaning: ‘Because you have been strong with God, you will be strong with men.’[1]

Already the next day, Jacob sealed and protected by the blessing of God, went out to meet Esau. While previously Esau had pursued his brother with an army in order to kill him, he now fell on the neck of Jacob and cried. Thus brotherly love was re-established between them. Furthermore, as the Scriptures bear record, God’s blessing upon Jacob was so strong that he saw the face of Esau as the ‘face of God’.[2] In order to receive God’s blessing, Jacob humbled himself to the end in his all night struggle with God. He humbled himself in front of Esau as well, making seven prostrations to the ground as he approached him. God answered to the humility with which Jacob struggled in prayer by giving him a word which was able to constitute the foundation and law that ensures, smoothes out, makes unshakeable and fruit-bearing every relationship, bestowing upon it incorruptible value for all eternity: ‘Because you have been strong with God, you will be strong with men.’

OCN has partnered with Pemptousia, a Contemporary post-modern man does understand what man is. Through its presence in the internet world, Pemptousia, with its spirit of respect for beauty that characterizes it, wishes to contribute to the presentation of a better meaning of life for man, to the search for the ontological dimension of man, and to the awareness of the unfathomable mystery of man who is always in Christ in the process of becoming, of man who is in the image of divine beauty. And the beauty of man springs from the beauty of the Triune God. In the end, “beauty will save the world”.

OCN is a 501(c)3 and recognized as a leader in the Orthodox Media field and has sustained consistent growth over twenty years. OCN shares the timeless faith of Orthodoxy with the contemporary world through modern media. We are on a mission to inspire Orthodox Christians Worldwide. We have reached 5.7 Million People in One Week. Much like public radio, the Orthodox Christian Network relies on the support of our listeners, readers, and fans. If you are interested in supporting our work, you can send your gift by direct mail, over the phone, or on our website. Your gift will ensure that OCN may continue to offer free, high-quality, Orthodox media.

Do you find it hard to keep focused on Christ when you’re on the go? OCN makes it easy! Give today to help you and your Orthodox community stay connected no matter the location.

Spark OCN app is an Orthodox Christian News portal that allows you to take action. Spark provides daily devotions, live Bible study, and you can read and learn about events going on in the Orthodox Christian world, especially those concerning persecuted Christians. In addition to making it easy to share news and articles with friends, Spark allows you make prayer requests for those who are suffering.

Orthodox Prayer Book is the ultimate prayer assistant for Orthodox Christians. Not only does it allow you to carry your prayers around, it was designed from the ground-up for the iPhone to allow you to pray in the least distracting manner possible. Carry all the prayers, information about daily saints and fasting schedules with you throughout your day. Keep a list of people you want to pray for and have them automatically embedded into the prayers.

Pemptousia and OCN have entered a strategic partnership to bring Orthodoxy Worldwide. Greek philosophers from Ionia considered held that there were four elements or essences (ousies) in nature: earth, water, fire and air. Aristotle added ether to this foursome, which would make it the fifth (pempto) essence, pemptousia, or quintessence. The incarnation of God the Word found fertile ground in man’s proclivity to beauty, to goodness, to truth and to the eternal. Orthodoxy has not functioned as some religion or sect. It was not the movement of the human spirit towards God but the revelation of the true God, Jesus Christ, to man. A basic precept of Orthodoxy is that of the person ­– the personhood of God and of man. Orthodoxy is not a religious philosophy or way of thinking but revelation and life standing on the foundations of divine experience; it is the transcendence of the created and the intimacy of the Uncreated. Orthodox theology is drawn to genuine beauty; it is the theology of the One “fairer than the sons of men”. So in "Pemptousia", we just want to declare this "fifth essence", the divine beaut in our life. Please note, not all Pemptousia articles have bylines. If the author is known, he or she is listed in the article above.

The Orthodox Christian Network is a commissioned agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Orthodox Christian Network.

The Orthodox Christian Network is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.